Soybean designated elginEMS-421

ABSTRACT

A novel soybean seed and plant designated ElginEMS-421 having ATCC Accession No. 97617 and its descendents are provided. Such soybean seed exhibits an elevated palmitic acid (C16:0) content of at least 15.7% by weight based upon the total fatty acid content in the endogenously formed vegetable oil.

This Application is a division of Ser. No. 08/376,466, filed Jan. 20,1995 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,311), which is a continuation of Ser. No.08/180,114, filed Jan. 12, 1994 (now abandoned), which is a continuationof Ser. No. 07/839,328, filed Feb. 20, 1992 (now abandoned), which is acontinuation-in-part of Ser. No. 07/461,341, filed Jan. 5, 1990 (nowabandoned).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to novel soybean seeds and products of soybeanseeds, such as soybean oil, and, more particularly, to soybeans seedsand products characterized by extremely high levels of palmitic acid.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Soybean seeds represent perhaps the most significant oilseed in theworld. Soybean oil makes up approximately 28% of the world supply offats and oils, has been considered to be the major vegetable oilproduced and consumed in the United States, and more than 90% of thesoybean oil is used in food products (World Soybean Research ConferenceIII Proceeding, Shibles, R. (Ed.) 1985).

Soybeans thus represent a significant world-wide food source, providingan excellent source of protein. As such, soybeans represent potentialalternatives to meats.

Tofu and soymilk are two principal food products derived from soybeanseeds. More than one billion people in China and Southeast Asia, it hasbeen stated, rely on tofu as a major food protein source. (Proc. Int.Soya Protein Food Conf., American Soybean Assoc., p. 35 (1970)). Soymilkis similarly an important source for food protein.

One application for which soybean oil may be used is the production ofplastic fats (e.g.--shortenings and margarines). Such plastic fats aremade with a matrix of solid fats whose interstices are filled withliquid oil. Solid fats can crystallize in several forms with differentmelting points and physical properties. The forms are commonlydesignated alpha, beta' and beta, with the beta form having the highestmelting point and the greatest stability. Forms other than these threemay also be present. The beta' form generally has the properties thatare most usually desired in a plastic fat.

If the solid portion of the plastic fat contains about 15% or more ofpalmitic acid and the rest is stearic acid, it will stabilize in thebeta' form. If the ratio of stearic/palmitic is higher, then the fat mayconvert to the beta form with its less desirable physical structure.

Soybean oil will most usually contain a level of about 10% palmitic acidor so. Accordingly, if such soybean oil is hydrogenated and made into aplastic fat, it will likely crystallize in the beta form. To preventthis, an oil such as cottonseed or palm oil that is richer in palmiticacid is blended with the soybean oil.

The use of either palm oil or cottonseed oil presents some difficulties.Some users thus consider palm oil to be undesirable based upon perceivedhealth considerations. On the other hand, cottonseed oil is generallyavailable only in limited amounts at a higher price than that of soybeanoil. It would accordingly be highly desirable to be able to providesoybean varieties having sufficiently elevated palmitic acid contents sothat plastic fats can be produced such that such products will stabilizein the beta' form.

Further, some producers for some plastic fat applications believe thatsoybean oil having a palmitic acid content in the range of about 13% or14% to about 16% or so is preferred. For such applications, it would behighly desirable to be able to provide soybean varieties having asufficiently high level of palmitic acid to use for blending withsoybean varieties having more conventional palmitic acid contents toprovide the desired intermediate range of palmitic acid content.

The palmitic acid levels in soybean seed oil range from 9.3% to 17.4%within the world collection (Erickson et al., Journal of Heredity, 79,p. 465, 1988). The Erickson et al. article reports the inheritance ofaltered palmitic acid percentages in two soybean mutants, C1726 andC1727. The level of palmitic acid in C1727 reported averages 17.3%palmitic acid in comparison to 11.5% in the oil of the parent cultivar"Century."

Despite the clear need for soybeans having a level of palmitic acidabove that present in the world collection at the present time, thisobjective still remains to be achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has been discovered that a mutant line obtained from the parentvariety Asgrow A1937 provides a population of soybean seeds exhibitinghigh levels of palmitic acid. The palmitic acid concentration capable ofbeing obtained is about 18% of the total fatty acid present, even up to20% or more.

Further, it has been discovered that crossing the Asgrow A1937 mutantwith a second mutant provides a population of soybean seeds exhibitingsignificantly higher levels of palmitic acid than have been capable ofbeing achieved. More particularly, soybean seeds having palmitic acidcontents above about 20%, and, more preferably, of at least about 25% ormore, have been achieved. Still further, it has been discovered thatsoybean seeds having palmitic acid contents of 30.0% or more may beobtained by crossing selected progeny with line A89-259098.

If desired, the soybeans of the present invention can be used as a donorparent in a backcrossing program with any desired commercial cultivar asa recurrent parent to isolate a commercial variety having desirable seedyield and other agronomic characteristics in addition to the high levelof palmitic acid.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

According to one aspect of the present invention, the novel soybeanseeds and plants characterized by palmitic acid contents of at least 18%were obtained by preparation of a mutant line developed by treating thecultivar Asgrow A1937 with nitroso methyl urea (NMU). The mutationprocedure utilized will be described in detail hereinafter in theExamples. The mutant line has been designated A1937NMU-85.

Pursuant to a further aspect of the present invention, crossing of theparent mutant line A1937NMU-85 with a second mutant line, ElginEMS-421,has been found to provide a population of soybean seeds with palmiticacid contents significantly above that of the parent line Asgrow A1937.The preparation of the mutant line, ElginEMS-421, will be described inconjunction with the Examples.

Crossing of the parent mutant lines A1937NMU-85 and ElginEMS-421 toobtain the soybean lines of the present invention can be carried out byany desired hybrid formation technique. Standard hybridizationtechniques are, of course, well known and may be utilized. As anillustrative example, hybridization techniques are disclosed in Fehr,Principles of Cultivar Development, Vol. 1, Theory and Technique,Chapter 13, pp. 156-164, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1987,which hybridization techniques are herein incorporated by reference.

Progeny from the crossing of A1937NMU-85 and ElginEMS-421 yieldedsoybean seeds wherein the palmitic acid content is greater than 18%,preferably greater than about 20%, and more preferably, greater thanabout 25%.

The fatty acid composition was determined by gas-liquid chromatographyusing the method as generally outlined in Graef et al. (Crop Sci.,25:1076-1079, 1985). Thus, in general, the method comprises (1) crushingthe seed sample, (2) putting the crushed sample into a test tube with ahexane solvent and extracting the oil into the hexane, (3) the fattyacids in the oil are converted to their methyl esters using sodiummethoxide and methanol, (4) water is added to inactivate the sodiummethoxide catalyst, and (5) the methyl esters, which float to the top ofthe water layer, are diluted with hexane and become the sample that isintroduced into the column of the gas chromatography apparatus.

As may be appreciated, this general methodology may be employed andspecific aspects changed to lessen the time needed as desired. Forexample, the stationary phase selected for the columns will dictate thetemperature at which the sample can be introduced.

None of the specifics utilized, e.g.--capillary versus packed columns,are considered to affect to any appreciable extent the results obtainedfor an analysis. Rather, such specifics affect the time required forsample preparation and analysis.

The percentages of the fatty acids set forth herein, unless otherwisedesignated, thus are on a weight basis and refer to the percentage ofthe methyl ester of palmitic acid or other fatty acid compared to thetotal methyl esters of the fatty acid composition in the sample beinganalyzed. This can also be taken as the weight percentage of the fattyacid itself because the difference between the palmitic acid content andthat of its methyl ester as determined in the gas chromatographytechnique described herein is so minimal as may be ignored, as iscommonly done in this field.

The gas chromatography techniques described herein are routinely usedfor analysis of the fatty acid composition of soybeans. The experimentalerror is considered to be within the range of from about 1 to 5% or so,depending upon the magnitude of the peak. For example, with a relativelylarge peak indicative of an oleic acid content of 50% or so, theexperimental error may be as low as about 1% of the value,viz.--50±0.5%. At the other extreme, a small peak indicative of astearic acid content of 4.0% may have an experimental error of about5.0% of the value, viz.--4.0%±0.2. A palmitic acid content of about 20%lies in the middle, with the expected error being about 2-3% of thereported value, viz.--20%±0.4 or 0.6%.

As may be appreciated, the palmitic acid levels of the soybeans of thepresent invention set forth herein were obtained from soybeans grown inIowa and Puerto Rico. Growth under climatic conditions cooler or warmermay result in a somewhat altered fatty acid composition. However, whilethe specific results may vary somewhat depending upon the specificgrowing conditions experienced, the progeny of the present inventionwill be characterized by extremely high palmitic acid contents relativeto other soybean lines grown under similar conditions.

Progeny exhibiting the desired high palmitic acid trait can be crossedwith other progeny to provide a population of soybean seeds havingextremely high palmitic acid contents. It can be expected that crossesutilizing the more desirable progeny should be capable of providinglines having palmitic acid contents up to about 30.0% or so.

Indeed, soybean lines having palmitic acid contents of 30.0% or morehave been obtained by crossing selected progeny with line A89-259098.Parent line A89-259098 is described in our copending application, Ser.No. 07/643,277, the disclosure of said line being herein incorporated byreference. It can thus be expected that crosses utilizing the moredesirable progeny should be capable of providing lines having palmiticacid contents up to about 35.0% or so.

Further, progeny can be crossed, if desired, with other progeny, or withany other soybean line or cultivar to yield a soybean cultivar havingthe desired seed yield or other desired agronomic traits as well as thedesired high palmitic acid trait. Self-pollination of selected progenymay likewise yield lines having characteristics desired for someapplications.

Any hybridization technique may be used, and many are known as has beendescribed herein. For example, the selection of progeny having thedesired high palmitic acid trait can be obtained by conductingbackcrossing with a commercial variety until a desirable commercialvariety has been isolated. Backcrossing techniques are known, asdisclosed in Fehr, Principles of Cultivar Development, Vol. 1, Theoryand Technique, Chapter 28, pp. 360-376, the disclosure of which isherein incorporated by reference.

As one example, backcrossing using the desired F₂ seeds obtained bynatural self-pollination of the F₁ plants could be carried out asfollows:

(1) Plant F, seeds obtained by crossing a parent with the desired highpalmitic acid trait to the desired commercial cultivar (recurrentparent). Sample F₂ seeds from F₁ plants are analyzed for fatty acidconcentration, and seeds with the desired high palmitic acid content areplanted for backcrossing.

(2) Cross-pollinate the desired commercial cultivar (recurrent parent)with an F₂ plant having the high palmitic acid content.

(3) Plant the BC₁ F₁ seeds and obtain BC₁ F₂ seeds by naturalself-pollination. Sample BC₁ F₂ seeds are analyzed for fatty acidconcentration, and those displaying the high palmitic acid trait arebackcrossed to the recurrent parent.

(4) The backcross and selection procedure herein described (Step 3) canbe repeated until lines with the desired high palmitic acid compositionand agronomic performance are recovered. It is believed that four ofthese backcross cycles should serve to transfer the high palmitic acidtrait to the desired cultivar (viz.--recurrent parent), although thenumber of such cycles can be fewer, or more, as is desired. The resultis the production of a soybean line quite similar to the commercialcultivar except having the desired high palmitic acid content.

Any commercial cultivar (recurrent parent) desired may be employed forbackcrossing. Factors such as, for example, seed yield, geographicalarea, and many others, as is known, will generally dictate the cultivarselected from the several hundred commercial cultivars available.

The following Examples are illustrative, but not in limitation, of thepresent invention. The gas chromatography results obtained from theinstrument itself are reported to two decimal points (i.e.--"0.00"). Asreported herein, the fatty acid values are set forth to one decimalpoint. Values of 6 or more in the second decimal point were raised(e.g.--4.29 is reported herein as 4.3), values of 4 or less are ignored(e.g.--4.24 is reported as 4.2), values of 5 are raised if the firstdecimal is odd (e.g.--4.15 is reported as 4.2) and ignored if even(e.g.--4.25 is reported as

EXAMPLE 1

This Example describes the preparation of the mutant line A1937NMU-85.

Mutant line A1937NMU-85 was obtained from nitroso methyl urea (NMU)treatment of the parent variety Asgrow A1937. In May, 1985, 2,500 seedsof A1937 were soaked in 2.5 L distilled water in a 6 L flask for 9 hoursat room temperature. The flask was aerated for the 9 hours of soaking.The water was drained from the flask, and 2.5 L of 2.5 mM NMU in 0.1molar "M"! phosphate buffer at pH 5.5 were added. The seeds were soakedwith aeration for 3 hours, the solution was drained and the seeds wererinsed twice with distilled water. Treated seeds were placed incontainers to prevent drying and transported to the AgriculturalEngineering and Agronomy Research Center near Ames, Iowa. The seeds wereplanted 2.5 cm deep in moist soil within 4 hours after the last rinse.The soil was watered regularly to keep it moist until seeding emergence.The properties of the mutant seed and their progeny were evaluatedbeginning with the M₄ generation.

A similar number of seeds was harvested from each of the M₁ (firstmutant generation) plants in the population to obtain 2,000 M₂ seeds. Arandom sample of 1,000 of the second generation M₂ seeds from thepopulation was planted in October at the Iowa StateUniversity-University of Puerto Rico soybean nursery at Isabela, PuertoRico. About 2,000 M₃ seeds were obtained by harvesting a similar numberof seeds from each M₂ plant. In February, 1,000 M₃ seeds were planted inPuerto Rico. About 2,000 M₄ seeds were obtained by harvesting a similarnumber of seeds from each M₃ plant. In May, 1,000 M₄ seeds were plantedat Ames. Five hundred Me plants were harvested individually from thepopulation, and a 10-seed sample from selected plants was analyzed bygas-liquid chromatography to determine the fatty acid composition. M₅progeny of selected plants were planted in Puerto Rico in February,1987; and the results confirmed the unique fatty acid composition of theM₄ parent plant.

A 10-seed sample of the M₄ plant from which A1937NMU-85 originated andits parent was analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography, and the resultsare set forth in Table I:

                  TABLE I                                                         ______________________________________                                                  Fatty Acid Composition                                                          Palmitic                                                                              Stearic Oleic Linolenic                                                                            Linoleic                                         Acid    Acid    Acid  Acid   Acid                                 Seed Identification                                                                       (16:0)  (18:0)  (18:1)                                                                              (18:2) (18:3)                               ______________________________________                                        A1937NMU-85 19.8    3.6     17.4  51.3   7.7                                  A1937 Parent                                                                              12.3    3.8     18.7  57.2   8.0                                  ______________________________________                                    

M₅ Progeny from the M₄ plant A1937NMU-85 and the A1937 parent wereanalyzed by gas-liquid chromatography, and the results are set forth inTable II:

                  TABLE II                                                        ______________________________________                                                  Fatty Acid Composition                                                          Palmitic                                                                              Stearic Oleic Linolenic                                                                            Linoleic                                         Acid    Acid    Acid  Acid   Acid                                 Seed Identification                                                                       (16:0)  (18:0)  (18:1)                                                                              (18:2) (18:3)                               ______________________________________                                        A1937NMU-85 20.1    3.8     18.5  49.9   7.6                                  A1937 Parent                                                                              12.1    4.6     27.1  50.1   6.1                                  ______________________________________                                    

Seeds of the soybean A1937NMU-85 have been deposited under the terms ofthe Budapest Treaty at the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) at12301 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, Md. 20852, U.S.A. More specifically2,500 seeds of A1937NMU-85 were deposited on Jun. 18, 1996 and have beenassigned ATCC Accession No. 97618.

EXAMPLE 2

This Example describes the preparation of the mutant line ElginEMS-421.

Mutant line ElginEMS-421 was obtained from ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS)treatment of the parent variety Elgin. In May, 1984, 2,500 seeds ofElgin were soaked in 2.5 L distilled water in a 6 L flask for 9 hours atroom temperature. The flask was aerated for the 9 hours of soaking. Thewater was drained from the flask, and 2.5 L of 0.025 molar EMS in 0.1Mphosphate buffer at pH 7 were added. The seeds were soaked for 9 hours,the solution was drained and the seeds were rinsed twice with distilledwater. Treated seeds were placed in containers to prevent drying andtransported to the Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy Research Centernear Ames, Iowa. The seeds were planted 2.5 cm deep in moist soil within4 hours after the last rinse. The soil was watered regularly to keep itmoist until seedling emergence. The properties of the mutant seed andtheir progeny were evaluated beginning with the M₂ generation.

A similar number of seeds was harvested from each of the M₁ (firstmutant generation) plants in a population to obtain 2,000 M₂ seeds foreach population. A random sample of 1,000 of the second generation M₂seeds from the population was planted in February at the Iowa StateUniversity-University of Puerto Rico Soybean nursery at Isabela, PuertoRico. Five hundred M₂ plants were harvested individually from thepopulation, and a 10-seed sample from selected plants was analyzed bygas-liquid chromatography to determine the fatty acid composition. M₃progeny of the mutant plant were planted in Puerto Rico in November,1986, and the results confirmed the unique fatty acid composition of theM₂ parent plant.

Table III sets forth the analysis of the 10-seed sample of the M₂ plantfrom which ElginEMS-421 originated as well as that of its parent:

                  TABLE III                                                       ______________________________________                                                  Fatty Acid Composition                                                          Palmitic                                                                              Stearic Oleic Linolenic                                                                            Linoleic                                         Acid    Acid    Acid  Acid   Acid                                 Seed Identification                                                                       (16:0)  (18:0)  (18:1)                                                                              (18:2) (18:3)                               ______________________________________                                        ElginEMS-421                                                                              17.9    3.9     18.6  50.8   8.9                                  Elgin Parent                                                                              12.1    4.4     18.7  56.0   8.8                                  ______________________________________                                    

Table IV sets forth the analysis of M₃ progeny from the M₂ plantElginEMS-421 and that of its parent:

                  TABLE IV                                                        ______________________________________                                                  Fatty Acid Composition                                                          Palmitic                                                                              Stearic Oleic Linolenic                                                                            Linoleic                                         Acid    Acid    Acid  Acid   Acid                                 Seed Identification                                                                       (16:0)  (18:0)  (18:1)                                                                              (18:2) (18:3)                               ______________________________________                                        ElginEMS-421                                                                              16.9    4.1     16.8  50.2   11.9                                 Elgin Parent                                                                              11.6    4.2     17.8  55.5   10.9                                 ______________________________________                                    

Seeds of the soybean Elgin EMS-421 have been deposited under the termsof the Budapest Treaty at the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) at12301 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20852, U.S.A. Morespecifically 2,500 seeds of Elgin EMS-421 were deposited on Jun. 18,1996 and have been assigned ATCC Accession No. 97617.

EXAMPLE 3

This Example describes the crossing of A1937NMU-85 and ElginEMS-421 toobtain the soybean lines of the present invention characterized by highpalmitic acid contents.

Crosses were made between individual plants of A1937NMU-85 andElginEMS-421 at the Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy ResearchCenter near Ames, Iowa, in the summer of 1987. The hybrid F₁ seedsobtained from the different plant-to-plant crosses were kept separate,and were designated AX4659 through AX4663 and AX4676.

The F₁ seed was planted in the Iowa State University-University ofPuerto Rico nursery at Isabela, Puerto Rico, in October, 1987. F₂ seedswere obtained by natural self-pollination. Each F₁ plant was harvestedindividually, and the F₂ seeds of each were maintained as a separatesubpopulation.

Forty F₂ seeds from each of the six crosses were planted in Puerto Ricoin February, 1988. F₃ seeds were obtained by natural self-pollination.F₂ plants were harvested individually. A 5-seed sample from each F₂plant was analyzed for fatty acid composition by gas chromatography.

Table V summarizes the analysis of the fatty acid composition of the F₃seeds from individual F₂ plants:

                  TABLE V                                                         ______________________________________                                                  Fatty Acid Composition                                                          Palmitic                                                                              Stearic Oleic Linolenic                                                                            Linoleic                                         Acid    Acid    Acid  Acid   Acid                                 Seed Identification                                                                       (16:0)  (18:0)  (18:1)                                                                              (18:2) (18:3)                               ______________________________________                                        AX4659-2-3  21.3    4.1     15.9  50.4   8.2                                  AX4659-3-7  25.9    3.7     14.2  47.9   8.3                                  AX4659-3-8  23.9    3.7     17.5  46.6   8.2                                  AX4660-3-4  26.1    4.5     16.2  44.9   8.3                                  AX4663-5-2  25.9    4.4     17.7  44.4   7.5                                  AX4663-5-4  26.8    4.1     12.5  48.2   8.3                                  AX4676-2-11 23.6    3.6     15.7  48.7   8.4                                  A1937NMU-85 19.0    3.8     15.7  53.2   8.2                                  ElginEMS-421                                                                              17.4    4.0     14.6  53.0   10.9                                 ______________________________________                                    

Twelve F₃ seeds from each selected F₂ plant were planted in the IowaState University-University of Puerto Rico nursery in October 1988. F₄seeds were obtained natural self-pollination. Each F₃ plant washarvested individually. A 10-seed sample from each F₃ plant was analyzedfor fatty acid composition by gas chromatography.

Table VI summarizes the analysis of the fatty acid composition of the F₄seeds from individual F₃ plants:

                  TABLE VI                                                        ______________________________________                                                  Fatty Acid Composition                                                          Palmitic                                                                              Stearic Oleic Linolenic                                                                            Linoleic                                         Acid    Acid    Acid  Acid   Acid                                 Seed Identification                                                                       (16:0)  (18:0)  (18:1)                                                                              (18:2) (18:3)                               ______________________________________                                        AX4659-2-3-9                                                                              27.8    3.8     13.9  44.1   10.3                                 AX4659-3-7-7                                                                              27.4    3.5     15.1  44.4    9.6                                 AX4659-3-8-6                                                                              27.4    3.4     16.1  42.8   10.3                                 AX4660-3-4-4                                                                              27.7    3.8     15.6  43.2    9.7                                 AX4663-5-2-9                                                                              28.0    3.9     13.1  43.0   12.0                                 AX4663-5-4-5                                                                              28.3    4.0     12.4  43.8   11.5                                 AX4676-2-11-8                                                                             28.2    3.7     12.1  44.3   11.7                                 A1937NMU-85 19.6    3.9     17.5  50.1    8.9                                 ElginEMS-421                                                                              16.6    4.0     19.8  49.0   10.6                                 ______________________________________                                    

Thirty F₄ seeds from each selected F₃ plant were planted at theAgricultural Engineering and Agronomy Research Center near Ames, Iowa,in May, 1989. F₅ seeds were obtained by natural self-pollination. EachF₄ plant was harvested individually. A 5-seed sample from each of 10 F₄plants tracing to an F₃ plant were analyzed for fatty acid compositionby gas chromatography.

Table VII summarizes the analysis of the fatty acid composition of theF₅ seeds from individual F₄ plants, the parents, and C1727:

                  TABLE VII                                                       ______________________________________                                                  Fatty Acid Composition                                                          Palmitic                                                                              Stearic Oleic Linolenic                                                                            Linoleic                                         Acid    Acid    Acid  Acid   Acid                                 Seed Identification                                                                       (16:0)  (18:0)  (18:1)                                                                              (18:2) (18:3)                               ______________________________________                                        AX4659-2-3-9                                                                              25.7    3.8     14.6  46.2   9.6                                  AX4659-3-7-7                                                                              26.1    3.9     14.0  45.2   10.7                                 AX4659-3-8-6                                                                              25.0    4.5     20.4  42.1   7.9                                  AX4660-3-4-4                                                                              26.6    4.0     15.1  44.6   9.6                                  AX4663-5-2-9                                                                              26.4    4.1     15.7  43.0   10.7                                 AX4663-5-4-5                                                                              25.6    4.2     16.6  44.0   9.6                                  AX4676-2-11-8                                                                             25.2    4.0     17.4  44.3   9.1                                  A1937NMU-85 18.8    5.0     20.7  48.3   7.2                                  ElginEMS-421                                                                              15.7    4.1     19.7  50.7   9.8                                  C1727       15.6    3.6     19.2  53.2   8.4                                  ______________________________________                                    

EXAMPLE 4

This Example describes the crossing of AX4663-5-4-5 with A89-259098, ahigh stearic acid line, to obtain a soybean line according to thepresent invention characterized by an exceptionally high palmitic acidcontent.

2,500 seeds of AX4663-5-4-5 were deposited on Dec. 26, 1995 at theAmerican Type Culture Collection (ATCC) at 12301 Parklawn Drive,Rockville, Md. 20852, U.S.A. and have been assigned ATCC Accession No.97393.

1,250 seeds of A89-259098 were deposited on Dec. 26, 1995 at theAmerican Type Culture Collection (ATCC) at 12301 Parklawn Drive,Rockville, Md. 20852, U.S.A., and have been assigned ATCC Accession No.97391. An additional 1,250 seeds of A89-259098 were deposited on Apr.22, 1996.

Parent line AX4663-5-4-5 was obtained as described in Example 3. Parentline A89-259098 was obtained as described in our copending application,Ser. No. 07/643,277. The hybrid F₁ seeds obtained from the cross weredesignated AX7016-AX7019.

F₁ seeds of the cross were planted in February, 1990, in the Iowa StateUniversity-University of Puerto Rico nursery at Isabela, Puerto Rico. F₂seeds were obtained by natural self-pollination. Each F₁ plant washarvested individually, and the F₂ seeds of each were maintained asseparate subpopulations.

Four individual F₂ seeds from each F₁ plant were split so that theembryonic axis was left intact. The portion without the embryonic axis(approximately one-third of the seed) was analyzed for fatty acidcomposition by gas chromatography.

Table VIII summarizes the analysis of the fatty acid composition of anF₂ seed having the desired high palmitic acid content and that of theparent lines:

                  TABLE VIII                                                      ______________________________________                                                  Fatty Acid Composition                                                          Palmitic                                                                              Stearic Oleic Linolenic                                                                            Linoleic                                         Acid    Acid    Acid  Acid   Acid                                 Seed Identification                                                                       (16:0)  (18:0)  (18:1)                                                                              (18:2) (18:3)                               ______________________________________                                        AX7017-1-3  30.4     5.2    10.1  42.6   11.7                                 AX4663-5-4-5                                                                              28.6     4.0    11.9  43.0   12.4                                 A89-259098   8.0    30.3    21.5  34.6    5.6                                 ______________________________________                                    

What is claimed is:
 1. A soybean seed designated ElginEMS-421 havingATCC Accession No. 97617 and its descendents which are capable ofyielding an endogenously formed vegetable oil exhibiting a palmitic acidcontent of at least 15.7% by weight based upon the total fatty acidcontent.
 2. A soybean seed according to claim 1 wherein the vegetableoil endogenously formed therein contains palmitic acid in aconcentration of approximately 16.9 percent by weight, stearic acid in aconcentration of approximately 4.1 percent by weight, oleic acid in aconcentration of approximately 16.8 percent by weight, linoleic acid ina concentration of approximately 50.2 percent by weight, and linolenicacid in a concentration of approximately 11.9 percent by weight asdetermined by gas chromatography.
 3. Soybean seeds according to claim 1hat are provided as an assemblage of such seeds.
 4. A soybean plantproduced by the seed of claim 1.